Cytotoxic Activity of Brine Shrimp in Different Extracts and Anti-diabetic Potential of Ethanolic Extracts of Pouzolzia wightii Benn. Leaves, Stem, and Root in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

Abstract

Plants are the largest source of herbal medicines in the world. About 60-80 % of humans still depend on plant-based medicines as traditional human health care systems. Medicinal plants are a component and bundle of human society to struggle with diseases, from the dawn of civilization. This study aimed to investigate the cytotoxic activity of P. wightii leaves, stem and roots different extracts using brine shrimp lethality assay and the anti-diabetic effects of ethanolic extracts of leaves, stem and root Pouzolzia wightii in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Pouzolzia wightii belongs to the family: Utricaceae, a native of Southern Western Ghats. In India, it is distributed in Tamilnadu and Kerala. In vitro inhibitory assay of oral glucose was performed in ethanolic extracts of P. wightii leaves, stem and roots. Different doses (200 and 400 mg/kg bw) were assessed to determine the effective anti-diabetic dose in alloxan -induced diabetic rats. The present study confirms that the bioactive so obtained possess efficient anti-diabetic properties. The current study report that ethanolic extracts of P. wightii root showed the maximum anti-diabetic activity and the results of cytotoxicity using brine shrimp lethality assay showed the best activity on ethanolic extracts of P. wightii stem showed the lowest LC50 values (18.98 and 23.81 mg/ml) than the other studied parts. This work stimulates the researchers to advance research on the prospective use of medicinal plants with anti-diabetic potential.